CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna – An undetermined number of New People’s Army rebels was wounded in an encounter with the Army in Barangay Matamis, Rosario, Batangas on Saturday morning, December 16.
The Army was conducting an operation in the forested area of the barangay when they encountered the communist guerrillas, triggering a 10-minute gun battle until the rebels withdrew.
Recovered in the area were improvised explosives device (IED) components, NPA flag, and personal belongings.
The Police Regional Office 4-A said Rosario police have coordinated with hospitals in the town and other areas to verify if there were wounded rebels admitted for treatment.
Meanwhile, in Laguna, police found a cache of war materials in Barangay 9, Paete, on Saturday.
Lawmen were conducting an internal security operation in the hinterlands of Kalayaan and Paete towns when they found a hand grenade, a rifle grenade, two caliber .38 revolvers, two bandoliers, and a three-meter time fuse.
Kalayaan was the former haven of former communist spokesman Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, who died in 2011 of a heart attack.